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Extension, DNR Educate Communities on Flooding

AMES, Iowa — A new video series, “Flooding in Iowa,” offers a close look at floodplains, flood risks and ways to mitigate possible future losses from flooding. The web-based educational videos are suitable for local officials as well as the general public.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources contracted with Gary Taylor, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach planning and development specialist and associate professor of community and regional planning, to develop the videos. The project is funded through federal disaster assistance made available after 2008 for flood education.

The “Flooding in Iowa” video series is posted at www.extension.iastate.edu/floodinginiowa. The six- to 12-minute videos address five broad topics: flooding, floodplain mapping, floodplain regulation, flood insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program. The videos are intended to introduce these topics to an audience without any prior experience in engineering, law, hydrology or the NFIP.

Seven videos and accompanying written materials already are available online. The remaining 15 videos will be added throughout the fall and winter.

“We are making a deliberate effort to produce videos with as little technical jargon as possible. They rely heavily on illustrations and photos to explain common terms and concepts related to flooding, floodplains and NFIP,” said Taylor.

To create the illustrations, Taylor has pulled together a diverse team of ISU College of Design students from community and regional planning, architecture, landscape architecture and biological/pre-medical illustration. The professionals in the IDNR Floodplain Management Division provided guidance and expertise in developing the content at every step.